Lay’s Chicken & Waffles Could Be the Newest Potato Chip Flavor

In the weeks ahead, you’re going to start seeing some new flavors of Lay’s Potato Chips on store shelves. They’re part of the Do Us a Flavor contest, and everyone will be able to decide the winner via Twitter, Facebook, or text message.

Lay’s is taking after another brand under the same ownership group, Mountain Dew, in democratizing new flavors. The three finalists for the contest – Chicken and Waffles, Cheesy Garlic Bread, and Sriracha – were fan submissions chosen out of millions of ideas. The winner will receive $1 million or 1 percent of net sales in 2013 from their chip flavor – Lay’s will hand out whichever one is higher.

Needless to say, this is a big decision. We’re all going to have to live with what we choose, and, more importantly, live without what might have been. The fact that the selection committee did such a stellar job of picking the three finalist flavors only makes it harder. Cheesy Garlic Bread is essentially can’t miss, but might be almost too safe of a pick. Chicken and Waffles is going to both taste good and make you think of your favorite local chicken and waffles joint, which makes for a strong case. If the Chicken and Waffles chips also include the syrup flavor part of that combination, I really don’t think that one can be beat. Sriracha (that light red hot sauce that some people put on literally everything, in case you somehow didn’t know) is going to be a powerful force in the voting – the Sriracha fan base tends to be a passionate and evangelical one.

This is an election that could rock 2013, with implications for scores of future barbecues and Super Bowls. To make your choice, you can visit the Lay’s Facebook page, tweet either #SaveGarlicBread, #SaveSriracha, or #SaveChickenWaffles, or by texting VOTE to 24477. You’ll be able to buy all three chip flavors until May, after which Lay’s plans to sell only the winner. The voting officially kicked off last week at an event at the New York Stock Exchange, which featured Eva Longoria and Chef Michael Symon, both of whom had a hand (tongue?) in choosing the three flavors. They chose well.